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Stocks Fall on Global Economy Concern While Treasuries Advance

Worse-than-expected Chinese and French data weighs down global markets

Aug. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Stocks fell for the first time in six days and commodities declined as worse-than-expected Chinese trade and French industrial output data added to evidence the global economy is slowing. U.S. Treasuries gained, halting a five day slide.

The MSCI All-Country World Index dropped 0.2 percent at 11 a.m. in New York and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index slipped 0.1 percent, retreating from a three-month high. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell four basis points to 1.65 percent. The euro erased earlier losses against the dollar. Natural gas slid 5.2 percent to lead commodities lower, with corn slipping from a record and wheat losing 2.3 percent.

China’s exports increased 1 percent in July from a year earlier, missing all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of 32 economists, and French industrial output stagnated in June from May compared with a forecast of 0.1 percent growth, reports showed today. The International Energy Agency cut global oil demand forecasts for this year and next.

“Whilst markets have recently been rallying on bad news -- in the expectation that it will lead to further stimulus from the central banks -- the deterioration in the fundamentals is becoming a bit harder to ignore,” said Jonathan Sudaria, a trader at Capital Spreads in London. “Traders may be disappointed if their thirst for stimulus isn’t satiated as soon as they expect.”

The S&P 500 snapped a five-day rally that has driven the index to the highest level since May 1. Yahoo! Inc. retreated 5 percent. Chief Executive Officer Marissa Mayer has embarked on a strategy review that could mean the company alters plans to return to shareholders the proceeds from the sale of Yahoo’s stake in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Yahoo said late yesterday in a regulatory filing.

RIM Gains

Research In Motion Ltd. climbed 4.9 percent as two people familiar with the situation said the company’s enterprise- services unit has attracted the interest of International Business Machines Corp. No party has shown interest in buying all of RIM or the division that makes its phones and no talks are currently under way, said one of the people, who asked not to be named because the matter is private.

The 10-year U.S. yield climbed to 1.73 percent yesterday, surpassing the U.S. inflation rate and offering investors a so- called positive real yield for the first time in 14 months.

The yield on the German 10-year bund declined six basis points to 1.38 percent, with similar-maturity U.K. gilt rates dropped eight basis points to 1.54 percent. The yield on the Greek bond due in February 2023 jumped 21 basis points, climbing for the first time in five days, with the price falling to 19.78 percent of face value.

The cost of insuring against default on sovereign debt rose, with the Markit iTraxx SovX Western Europe Index of credit-default swaps on 15 governments climbing 1.2 basis points to 247.

Euro Weakens

The euro recovered from a 0.5 percent slump earlier to trade little changed at $1.2306 as it strengthened against 10 of 16 major peers. The yen appreciated versus 15 of its 16 major peers. South Africa’s rand declined against 10 of its 16 most actively traded counterparts.

Oil dropped 0.6 percent to $92.85 a barrel and natural gas sank 5.3 percent, leading a 0.6 percent decline in the S&P GSCI Index of commodities. Wheat, soybeans and corn have risen the most this year among the 24 commodities tracked by the measure as the drought parched fields across the U.S. Midwest.

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